St Patrick’s Day - Security plans ensure feast of celebration

NOT even the arctic weather conditions, or memories of last year’s violence, could deter the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out for parades up and down the country yesterday, joining millions around the globe in celebration of St Patrick’s Day.

Thankfully, there was no repeat of the troubles which marred festivities a year ago when drunken louts turned Ireland’s national feast day into a shameful spectacle of violence.

In a pointed reminder of St Patrick’s Christian heritage, Archbishop Seán Brady, the Catholic Primate, stressed the importance of remembering his burning faith and the religious dimension of the celebrations.